Story 7 Supernatural A Kiss to Build a Dream On Pt
by Dragonladylewis
Summary: Sam, Dean & Alex rescue Bobby from a pack of demons bent on trading him for Alex, and Kali gives Alex a gift, or is it a curse? Part 2 and conclusion.


Part Two

"You need a WHAT!" Sheriff Mills asks in disbelief, her hands on her hips. She shakes her head at the three of them standing in front of her and throws up her hands in the air, then walks a small circle around the motel room before coming back to stand in front of Alex.

"Okay I kinda phrased that wrong. I need someone to help me get the rocket launcher here, or at least keep the cops from stopping me...him...from getting pulled over."

Sheriff Mills stares at her for a second, then looks at Dean and Sam, then back to Alex.

"I can get the thing no problem, "Alex continues," But I just don't want him to get pulled over with it in the truck."

"I don't even want to know how you got a rocket launcher." Sheriff Mills starts, "But it's illegal to transport or operate one. It's military equipment!"

"I know that! It's coming from Ellsworth! It doesn't even have to cross the state line. Listen he's a friend doing me a huge favour and I just want to try to keep him safe. It's the only way we're going to get into the warehouse."

"You're going to blast a hole in the side of the building! Can't you just, you know, sneak in? What about the roof?"

Alex shakes her head and walks over to the table and picks up a map of the building drawn on a yellow note pad, she hands it to the Sheriff and points out several features.

"It's surrounded by guards, all demons. The way it sits on the property there is no way to get on the roof without a helicopter. If I had a team I might be able to sneak in through the back door but I need at least four other people to take out the guards there and we're talking demon guards here."

Sheriff Mills shakes her head and then studies the map again; she frowns for a second and then chews her bottom lip.

"If you blast a hole in the wall they are going to kill Bobby. You won't have enough time to get to him before they do."

"We will if Dean and Sam go in through the drains." Alex points to several lines on the map running into the building. "They can radio me when they get in place here, almost under Bobby, then I blow the wall. I can give them some cover fire from the ridge and they can get him out through the hole."

Alex pauses, waiting for Mills to take it in and weigh the options, there weren't any other ones, and Alex was hoping like hell she would see it was the only way. Mills looks hard at Alex for a long minute.

"I ran a check on you." She says, watching Alex's face. She catches a flicker behind her eyes before Alex's jaw locks and her chin pops up in defence, it was exactly what she expected her to do.

"Actually I ran a check on you ages ago. I like Bobby, he's a crazy, sweet old guy, and he's one of my citizens. They say you still might be a little unstable. Is all this blowing stuff up gonna start something else?"

Alex's jaw quivers for a second before she shakes her head and looks back the Sheriff with a steady gaze. Alex hesitates for a second, then looks down at the floor and thinks, and then looks back up at the other woman.

"I don't know." Alex says softly," But if you're asking me if I'm gonna climb a bell tower and start popping off your citizens, the answer is no. I don't sleep, that's what happens. I just don't sleep." She says softly.

For a second Mills thinks she sees tears in her eyes but she blinks and they are gone just as fast, it doesn't make her feel any better to know exactly what she was hiding. The reports she had hacked into were so graphic in description she wasn't exactly sure how the hell Alex had survived, but she was sure nobody lived through that without some serious issues afterwards.

"I love Bobby," Alex says, her eyes fierce again. "He's the only person who loves me left in this stupid world and if I have to blow a hole in the side of a building to save him I will. I'm not asking you to move the damned thing, I just need you to get it to me."

Sheriff Mills nods faintly and then tosses the pad of paper back down on the table; she looks around the room and then nods again.

"Okay, I'll make sure the package gets here in one piece. Make sure you let me know when all this is gonna happen. I'll make sure everybody's busy; give you a little more time to get the hell outta there."

Dean and Sam both sigh in auditable relief and shift on their feet, relieved they were actually getting help from the cops this time. Sheriff Mills nods and makes her way out of the room; Alex sinks into a chair and sighs, then takes a long drink of her beer. She makes a face at it, then grabs a glass and the bottle of Johnny Walker and pours a glass. Sam shifts on his feet and then slides into the chair opposite Alex and looks at her.

"You didn't tell her Bobby was hurt."

"No," Alex mutters, taking another big drink of the whiskey.

"Why not?"

"Because if she knew he was hurt, she'd want an ambulance there. We don't need any civilians hanging around asking questions. We'll have to get him to the hospital ourselves."

Dean sighs then pours a drink and downs half of it; he wanders around the room then leans against the dresser and takes another drink.

"Do you think we can wait till the thing gets here? They were working him over pretty good."

Alex looks at him, then finishes her glass, she flips it upside down over a napkin and watches the legs runs down the inside of the glass to make a wet mark in the paper.

"An hour. It will take him an hour to get here if everything goes to plan. Bobby can last that long, he knows I'm coming for him. Let's go over the plan again." She pulls the note pad out and tosses it on top of the pile of papers and grabs a pen and sets it overtop a line.

"This is the drain line, you will enter here through the manhole cover..."

Twenty minutes later they are all loading up their pistols, Alex does a double check on her knives and flips the cover down on them, her cell phone rings. She pauses for a second when she sees the number and then yanks the phone open.

"Alex!" she says sharply. Her face falls and she sinks into the chair, staring at Sam and Dean seated on the bed. "NO! NO! Fuck!" she says into the phone. "What? Wait...? What?" she pauses a minute listening, staring at the floor, then looks up at the two men, they have both jumped off the bed and take a position opposite her, waiting for the obviously bad news. Alex lets out a huge breath and shakes her head, then buries her head in her hand and rests her arm on her knee.

"I'm gonna kill her myself! No! Its fine, do it! Thanks buddy! I owe you one, anything, you name it."

Alex snaps the phone shut and looks at the two guys in front of her.

"Our equipment should be here in fifteen or twenty minutes. Sheriff Mills just relieved my guy of his packages. Apparently she though if she got it and brought it here herself it would be faster. Lights and sirens blaring. Whitcomb just about had a heart attack when she pulled him over. I'm gonna kill her!"

Dean snorts in laughter and looks at Sam.

"Well that's certainly one way to make sure the cops don't pull him over. It will get here a hell- of-a-lot quicker too." He says, glancing over to Alex. "The Sheriff's got guts, that's for sure."

"I'm still gonna kill her. She should have told us that was what she was doing. Bitch!"

Dean snickers again, then holds his hands up and goes back to his side of the bed to finish packing up his stuff.

"It's like watching two little hissy cats fighting." He says to Sam. Sam's eyebrows pop up and he looks at Dean for a second, then back to Alex.

"Kinda reminds me of you and Alex." Sam says, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. He received two blistering glares and slumps a little in his chair, then grabs his pistol and checks it.

The ground is hard and cold, Alex shifts her position and glances at her watch, they should be beeping her in two minutes. She rolls over onto her stomach and grabs the binoculars and adjusts the settings, then scans the crowd again. Nobody has moved they are still in their positions; Bobby is still in his spot. She takes a deep breath and sends him a silent prayer, then scans the area again. The last thing these demons would think was that they would be blowing up a wall to get to Bobby. They would expect them to walk in the front door and try to get him back that way, negotiations was what they wanted, she is what they wanted. They guessed that they were holding Bobby to trade for her, and Dean, being Dean, would never trade. Her cell phone vibrates in her pocket and her adrenaline jumps, she grab sit off the blanket beside her and checks it. The text reads "In. Go."

Alex grabs the rocket launcher and adjusts it on her shoulder, careful not to give away her position, she hits the 'arm' button and the weapon hums to life, a low pitch whine the only indication it was ready. She takes a deep breath, then another and holds it, then lines up the metal sights with the spot on the wall. Three demons mingle around the outside, she knows two, maybe three more, are on the other side of the wall standing around. They are not gonna know what hit them. The shell should go through the first wall and then maybe make it through the second before blowing up completely. The heavy cement wall around Bobby's holding room should make it safe enough for him. Alex squeezes the trigger and the weapon jumps slightly, the red streak is seconds across the yard before the explosion rocks the night air. A fireball blows through the corrugated steel roof and disappears into the sky, the impact hits Alex on the hill and makes her ears ring. She drops the weapon and grabs her rifle then runs down the slight hill, the chain link fence had been carefully cut earlier and she grabs the loose fencing and yanks it down, it looks like a crazy ramp leading into the woods.

The hole is still smoking and Alex tries not to look at the charred bodies lying around when she ducks inside, she waits a second and lets her eyes adjust to the new lighting. The plan was to cover the doorway leading to Bobby's holding cell, making a path for the boys to take Bobby out of, they should be coming out any minute, the top of the manhole cover was off and lying to the side, indicating they had made it out of the drain, wet footprints led into the room. Alex glances around, no demons were running in, her spidey sense were tingling, something was wrong. She takes another look around and then runs to the doorway, she kneels down and peeks around the corner. Dean and Sam are on either side of Bobby, they've managed to cut the ropes that have him tied to the chair, but neither one of them are looking at him. They are both focused on something out of her sight. She slips inside, keeping behind the door and peeks again. Kali is tearing apart several boxes, her face a black mass of anger.

"Where is it! The medallion! Where is it Bobby!" she snarls. Bobby's head jerks up and he tries to focus on her.

"In my pocket. It's in my pocket." He mutters, his words slurring together. Kali advances at him, Dean holds out his hand and steps in front of her, she flips out her hand and Dean goes flying across the room and slams into the concrete wall.

"Whoa! Wait!" Sam says, trying to get her attention. Kali snarls at him, Sam jumps back.

"Wait! Don't hurt him! Please!"" Sam says trying to get the goddess to calm down. Kali glares at him, then shoves her hand in one of Bobby's pockets, her eyes light up and she pulls her hand out. A heavy gold medallion hanging from a chain dangles from her hands; she laughs with her head thrown back and slips it around her neck. Sam grabs Bobby and yanks him to his feet, then throws him over his shoulder, he sees Alex in the doorway.

"Alex! Get Dean!" Sam yells, glancing at Kali. The goddess seems to have grown in stature, her face dark and terrible, she holds out one hand and a flaming sword materializes, she holds out her other hand in a sign of peace. Alex freezes to the spot when Kali looks to her left again and another arm appears holding a severed head.

"Sam! Run!" she yells, Sam rushes outside and Alex grabs Dean by his belt and yanks him to his feet. He staggers against her, then gains his balance and heads out the door. Alex glances back in time to see Kali grow a second right arm, this one holding a globe, the goddess turns to look at Alex and then follows her out the door. Several guns shots ahead of her tell her that the demons are catching up to Sam and Dean and she sprints through the hole in the wall. She pulls up short and takes aim at several demons running around the corner of the building, a hail of bullets slows them down enough to keep them away from Sam. A blast of heat hits to her left and she turns to catch a glimpse of Kali emerging from the building, the goddess turns to a horde of attacking demons and sweeps them down with her sword. She stomps around the corner of the building snarling and swinging out of sight. Alex bolts across the field and scrambles up the steep ridge into the trees. The path through the woods is marked by several notches cut into the sides of the bigger trees; they glowed faintly white in the dark, enough to give them an idea of which way to go without leaving an obvious trail for the demons to follow. The boys were panting for breath at the truck when she bust out of the woods and ran over to them

"You boys can start running with me in the mornings." She jokes, watching them huffing and puffing , she yanks open the tail gate and jumps in the back and helps Sam and Dean get Bobby onto the mattress they had strapped into the back. Dean snorts in reply and then throws an old gray army blanket over Bobby and straps him in with the come-along straps they had screwed into the box.

"It gonna be a bit bumpy at first, till we get off the old road." Dean says, tucking Bobby in. "Once we get onto the good pavement it will be a bit easier. Anything happens wave, okay?"

Bobby nods faintly back to him and smiles at them all, then closes his eyes.

"Don't you pass out on me!" Alex growls taking his hand.

"I'm not, feels good to lie down, arms are killing me." he grumbles back.

Alex gives his hand a squeeze, then gives him a quick kiss on his bristly cheek and jumps out of the back of the truck and into the driver's seat. The boys quickly follow her and jump into the cab, Sam shoves back the sliding window and smiles back at Bobby.

The drive back to Bobby's went right according to plan, Sheriff Mills and another police car flew by them heading to the factory about half way back. The Impala was pulled out of the garage and Bobby was whisked away to the hospital to get patched up. It was another long wait in the Emergency room before a doctor was able to give them the news. Except for a broken leg, bruises and being dehydrated he was going to be fine. The medical staff bought the story that he had fallen while out hunting and was lost for several hours, the town knew Bobby to be a bit eccentric at times and never bothered to ask too many questions when he showed up with odd injuries. After much grumbling and swearing under his breath Bobby finally agreed to stay in overnight, Alex insisted in staying with him and took over the arm chair the orderlies moved in for her.

It was a rough night for both of them, both on edge waiting for a demon to come crashing through the door, or even worse sneaking in. Alex ran the little tidbits of info the vampire had dropped, they were watching her when she was here, in this very hospital. What didn't make sense was why? Were the demons hunting hunters? She knew she was considered to be one of the better hunters; Sam and Dean were also on the list. How many hunters were left? What other reasons could they have for hunting and tracking them?

"You need to sleep too." Bobby's rough voice grumbles from the bed. Alex smiles and glances over to him. He looks better, clean and at least had some color to his cheeks now.

"Can't, got too many things going through my head." She murmurs quietly back to him, she smiles at him, thinking how lucky she was to have him back with her.

"Dean tells me you've been a bit off these past couple weeks." Alex sits quietly and stares at the floor for a long moment, then glances back up at Bobby and swallows hard.

"That's putting it nice." She says softly.

"Is that from Canonsberg? He said you ran into the ex."

Alex's head jerks up and she looks at him for a second, then laughs at the irony of it. She shakes her head at the floor and smiles again.

"Naw, it's not Haggis. Part of me still cares about him of course, but I'm not Alexis any more. He loves Alexis not Alex, Alexis is gone. "

Her voice fades away till it's almost a breath at the end and she sits in silence staring at the floor. Bobby watches her from the bed and then looks at the ceiling and thinks for a second, then looks back at her.

"So it's the whole Mother Nature mojo thing." Alex sits still and doesn't acknowledge his comment. He sighs and looks back up at the ceiling and thinks for a long minute, then looks back at her.

"It's a bad spot for both of you, don't assume that's the way he wanted things to go either. Dean acts tough but..." his voice fades away, hesitant to talk about something that is as personal as Dean's feelings. He knew the both of them so well it felt like he was betraying them sometimes, but it was so god damned obvious they liked each other it was ridiculous.

"He feels everything, more than he lets on." Bobby finishes."Just like you do. You're both so damned determined to look tough all the time..." he shrugs, then winces a bit. He forgot how bad his muscles had been, lying flat and pain killers had made him feel pretty good for a while but the sudden movement had reminded him he wasn't thirty any more. Alex stands up and adjusts the covers around him, then gives him another kiss on the cheek and smiles down at him.

"I'm not the type of girl he wants though." Alex blinks hard for a second and swallows. "I always wanted to be the prettiest girl at the party and I wasn't. I don't have any illusions about what I look like any more, or what I am." She smiles a sad smile and brushes the hair flopping over Bobby's forehead back a bit. "I should be happy with what I have. Some people are meant to be pretty, and have families, fancy houses, cars. I think I'm meant to be alone, you know. It's like, I get a little taste of what everybody else has and then I lose it again. I think it would be just easier if I just don't get close any more. It hurts a lot more than feeling lonely sometimes."

Alex frowns and then blinks and then straightens up and walks over to the window and looks out across the parking lot.

"So you love him." Bobby says after a minute. Alex catches her breath for a second and looks out the window, it's raining and the parking lot sparkles in the parking lot lights and the occasional headlight. It sounded so simple when he said it, but it was so much more complicated. Saying you love somebody shouldn't hurt; it hurt to just think about it.

"Yes, and if he finds out he'll leave. Just let me hunt with him a little longer."

"Alex..." Bobby starts. Alex looks at him sharply, then turns away from the window and walks over to the bed.

"Go to sleep you crazy old man. You're high on meds. You won't even remember this tomorrow." She pats his good leg and then slips out the door of the room. Bobby watches her leave and shakes his head at her, then takes her advice. She was right; he was dead tired and needed a good sleep. He knew Alex was close by and watching over him, he smiled at the idea of having someone watching over him. If only Alex and Dean would let someone watch over them for a change.

The morning brought another surprise, Sheriff Mills. Since Bobby's house was still an investigation scene she brought him the news that not only was it out of bounds, but the damage wouldn't be repaired for at least a week. Three jaws hit the floor when she announced that she was taking Bobby back to her place to stay. He needed to be watched and her place had three unused bedrooms, one on the main floor which would be perfect for him and his leg length cast. Bobby's bright red face said volumes, but he was in no position to argue when the Sheriff used her leverage and started asking what the steel lined rooms were for and why did he have so many unlicensed firearms around the house. After much teasing Bobby finally agreed and found himself being unceremoniously loaded into Jody's truck, she wasn't going to put up with being called Sheriff Mills in her own house. Jody let Sam and Dean know they were welcomed to visit any time, but to dump the Ford, having that thing parked out in front was just too much. With Bobby safely out of the way the three of them returned to Bobby's house and decided the best thing to do was clean up.

Clean up turned into an all day affair, and it was late into the evening when the three hunters finally decided that it was time to return to their motel rooms for supper and hot showers all around. Alex didn't even protest when Dean ordered everybody cheeseburgers and fries for supper at the only restaurant left opened. It was a quiet meal in front of the TV and almost as soon as she was finished eating Alex headed back to her room next door to pack and shower. It was a reassuring feeling knowing they were right next door; just a few layers of wood and wall paper separated them. Alex smiles and yanks her duffel bag out from under the bed and starts to pack, Dean said he wanted to hit the road to Bobby's early so they could help clean up and maybe even stay there tomorrow night. He was still funny when it came to Alex paying for rooms, even though she had enough money set aside to buy the whole bloody place, in most cases.

"I want to thank you for helping me" Kali's voice suddenly says in the room, Alex spins around to see the goddess standing near the table, her hand automatically moves to her knife on her belt, she pauses a second then drops her hand and smiles a wary grin at her.

"Ahhh, sorry automatic reaction." Alex mutters, and cautiously watches her, she twists the t-shirt in her fingers nervously. She was more than willing to take on just about anything but tangling with a goddess as powerful as Kali was a little scary.

"You welcome." She finally says after a long pause. Kali smiles an amused smile at her and then runs her fingers over the table and steps a little closer to Alex.

"I would like to give you a gift." She says quietly. Alex hesitates and looks at her, then folds up the t-shirt and ducks down her head. Her thoughts whirl weighing the cons and pros, not quite sure what to do, finally Alex looks up, her eyes flick over the goddesses form, trying to read her intentions.

"I'm sorry." Alex breathes, weighing each word carefully, "I don't want to seem ungrateful, it's just... in my experience there are significant downfalls sometimes from accepting gifts. You know, the fine print."

Kali throws back her head and laughs, it is a great sound and Alex can't help smile with her at the sound of it. The goddess smiles and shakes her head at Alex, her eyes lite up with laughter. She is stunningly beautiful and Alex finds herself wishing she was as beautiful as she was.

"I can do that, Alex." Kali says, "I can make you the most beautiful woman on earth but that's not you, that's not your nature. It would change you too much, and everything you went through would be irrelevant."

Alex frowns slightly and glances up at Kali, wondering if she knew exactly what she had gone through in her life.

"Of course I do." The goddess whispers, "I was there with you, helping you through it."

Alex stares at her stunned for a second at what she's said, then swallows and jerks her chin in her direction.

"What do you mean? You were there?" Kali runs her fingers over the foot of the bed, then sits down on the edge and looks at Alex.

"I've watched you for a very long time Alex. I am most proud of you my child. You are warrior- woman, strong, lethal; both the giver of life and the bringer of death. You are soft and warm and passionate and proud." Kali pauses and takes a breath, then answers Alex's question.

"Do you remember when you were on the rack, and you would beg god to make it stop?" Alex swallows hard and nods, tears well up in her eyes, the t-shirt is crushed between her hands.

"I usually passed out right about then if I remember right." Alex whispers.

Kali nods from the bed and then looks down; she runs her fingertips over the blanket.

"I was not able to free you from your physical bonds, but I could take your mind away from it all. I gave you dreams instead. Your lake, your children, your family." She looks up at Alex and smiles faintly. "Do you remember waking up in the cell in the mornings?"

Alex stares at the floor and nods, tears run down her cheeks and drip off her chin. The cement floor was rough and cold under her cheek and breasts but her back was torn apart, there was no other way to sleep but face down on the floor. She remembers waking up after the torture sessions to birds singing and she would imagine being out there with them, flying and playing in the trees. There was one little goldfinch who would sit on her window sill and sing his heart out to her every morning. When she could move she would leave him bread crumbs.

"You left many bread crumbs there. Those bread crumbs were better offerings to me than any gold."

Alex wipes her face with the t-shirt, shaking with emotion, and nods her head slightly. Kali smiles and stands up and takes Alex into her arms in an embrace and holds her close for a moment. She leans forward and kisses Alex's forehead, the kiss leaves a red mark for a long second before it fades away into her skin.

"That is my gift to you my child. It will not come without a price, you were right, but only a bit of pain and a fever, it will pass quickly. Go to your friends, go to Dean, he is what you will need for a little while. Be strong." She whispers against her skin.

Kali steps back and releases her. Alex touches her forehead where the kiss was, it burns faintly, it feels like someone is dragging a warm wet cloth over her face and down her neck. She looks around the room; Kali is gone. Alex takes a step towards the bed, and then doubles over in pain, clutching her stomach. The pain knifes through her, quickly followed by a wave of heat and nausea. She waits for a second, gets a grip on the pain, and waits for the nausea to stop, then staggers to the dresser and grabs a bottle of painkillers. She hated even getting the prescription filled but when the migraines hit she needed them more than she liked to admit. Head injuries over the years had made the headaches bad enough, they were at the point where getting through one meant using painkillers. The pain dies down enough for her to walk and she grabs her keys and makes her way over to the door, another jolt hits her and she staggers and lands against the wall with a thump, barely staying on her feet.

Dean looks up at the wall at the thump and glances over at Sam to see if he notices, Sam makes a face and frowns a bit, and then glances over at Dean. Dean shrugs and then grabs his jacket off the bed and tosses it onto the back of the chair. It was late and he was tired, sleep wasn't cooperating lately and he was hoping for a couple of hours before they had to head back to Bobby's again. The thoughts of a warm bed were interrupted with another thump this time on their door. Sam frowns and grabs his gun, something wasn't right. His senses were on high alert now and he learned long ago to pay attention to them. He peeks out the peephole, and then yanks the door open in time to catch Alex, who was doubled over in pain and was using the door for support.

"Dean!" he yells and grabs Alex who staggers into his arms. She is a white as a sheet and covered in a fine sheen of sweat, she shivers in pain. Dean was already half-way across the room, but jumps to help Sam support Alex.

"Get her into my bed." He growls, shifting her around so Sam could get a better grip on her; Sam sweeps her up in his arms and lays her down on Dean's bed, then does a quick assessment of her.

"She is burning up." He mutters, then pushes Alex's hands away from her stomach and presses down, she doesn't react till his fingers press into the zipper of her jeans, her hand clamp around his wrist and she gasps in pain.

"Stop! Stop!" she whimpers, "Hurts too much. Just give me my pills." She mutters through her clenched teeth.

Dean grabs her other hand and uncurls her fingers from around the pill bottle and reads the label. He raises his eyebrows and then pops it open and shakes two out. He puts them in her hand and then grabs his bottle of Dr. Pepper and helps her up into a seated position.

"Sorry haven't got anything else. No booze in it though. Probably not a good thing to take with morphine." Alex groans faintly and takes two pills and hands him back the bottle.

"I'll be fine." She mutters.

She jerks when another wave of pain hits her. Dean holds her till she relaxes again, then lays her back down on the bed and looks across her to Sam.

"Hospital?" he mutters.

"No freakin' way." Alex groans, "I'll be fine. Just help me back to my room." Sam immediately shakes his head no.

"No, you're not going anywhere. You're burning up." He says touching her face.

Dean slides off the bed and disappears into the bathroom, then emerges with a wet towel.

"We gotta get her outta those jeans." He grumbles and then carefully places the towel over Alex's forehead; she sighs and relaxes a little, then pushes it back to look at them both.

"Gimme a minute. Pills will kick in, then I can move. Get outta your way." Dean and Sam look at each other and smile and nod.

"Right. You're staying Alex, don't be silly."

Alex shifts in the bed, buried under the covers, Dean glances down at her beside him. She doesn't look as flushed as she did earlier; he carefully touches her cheek with the back of his fingers and then smiles, a lot cooler. She smiles faintly when he touches her, her eyes flick open and she looks up at him through a haze of painkillers.

"I feel better." She slurs faintly, "Just cold." Dean smiles to himself and then takes the cold towel off her face and glances across the dark room to a sleeping Sam. Sam told him to wake him up when she did but it looked like she wasn't going to be up for long. The TV flashes through the movie and Dean suddenly realises he is dead tired; he rubs his eyes then glances down at Alex. She was watching him with those eyes of hers, smiling.

"Hold me." she whispers, her eyes struggle to keep open."No bad dreams tonight. Sleep."

He knew she was thinking about how they both managed to sleep better when they were together, and she could see how burnt out and tired he was. Dean smiles faintly then slides off the bed and kicks his jeans off, he checks for his pistol under his pillow, then pulls the bed covers back and slides into the bed. She's right, she is cold. She snuggles against his body, and he slips his arm under her head. She sighs faintly and lays her head against his chest; his heartbeat bumps under her ear and slides her arm round him so her body is pressed up against his side. He was so warm; his arms wrapped around her and held her against him, her legs tangle up in his. It was perfectly comfortable, felt so right, she could get used to sleeping like this. Dean smiles and then grabs the remote and flips the TV off, and listens to her breathing for a second; she relaxes against him and falls asleep almost immediately. He smiles for a second and then glances down at her. Her fingers curl against his chest and she smiles in her sleep, he smiles back at her then kisses her forehead. For a second he thought he saw red, but then realised it was just so damned tired he was seeing things. _I could get used to this_. He thinks before he drifts off to sleep.

"She did WHAT!" he bellows at her the next day. Alex tucks her t-shirt into her duffel bag and sighs, she sags a little and then sits down on the bed and looks up at him, she looks tired. Dean paces around the room, swearing at the ceiling, arms on his hips, royally pissed off at what she's just told him.

"Did it ever occur to you to tell us that last night!" he barks, standing in front of her.

"I didn't want you yelling at me again." she says quietly. Dean stops and looks down at her for a second, then spins away from her to stomp across the room past Sam. Sam glances over at Dean who has started another stream of cursing and then slides in to sit beside Alex on the bed.

"What exactly did she do?" he asks.

Alex shakes her head at him and twists a pair of sock into a ball, she looks up at him.

"She kissed my forehead and said this is my gift to you, child. It would hurt and I'd have a fever but it would pass."

Sam frowns and glances over at Dean, who has stopped pacing and swearing and leans against the dresser listening to them.

"That's it? How do you feel today? Has that ever happened before? Do you normally get...you know...cramps?" Sam asks looking her up and down.

Alex stuffs the socks in her bag and shrugs her shoulders. She flexes the fingers on her right hand and then rotates her wrist a little.

"Weak, wobbly, and no it hasn't. Sam..." she starts, she stops and glances up at Dean for a second, then back down to the floor, thoughts running through her head. "Sam, I don't know what Dean's told you but...I'm damaged."

"Alex, you don't have to go there." Dean interrupts from his spot on the dresser.

Alex glances over at Dean and stops for a second and watches him. He kept her secrets then, he didn't tell Sam everything they had talked about. She smiles faintly then turns back to Sam.

"I can't have children. The military doctors managed to put me back together but...nerve damage, no cramps, ever. So I really don't know what that was all about..."

"Well I freakin' don't like it."

Dean interrupts, getting himself wound back up again. He pushes himself off the dresser and stalks around the room again. Alex sighs and looks down at the floor; she grabs another pair of socks and twists them up into a ball. Sam glares at Dean, who stops and slides into the chair across from her. He pinches his lips together for a second, and then jerks his head in her direction.

"So, nothing hurts right now. Just wobbly?"

Alex nods and keeps her eyes on the floor, and plays with the socks.

"Then you should go back to bed. We can stay till you're feeling better. I think the construction guys can get the roof on without us hanging around." He says, watching her face. Alex glances up at him, then over to Sam and back down to the floor.

"I know you want to go. Probably just the pills. I'll be fine in a bit."

"Alex..." Dean says softly. It sends little tingles through her when he says her name like that, sometimes when he was waking her up he would run his fingers down her cheek or her arm and say her name like that. It was like silk to her ears.

"I'm sorry I blew up like that. It's not your fault. These freakin' gods play with us like were Ken and Barbie, and I don't want you hurt anymore."

Sam leans back on the bed not believing what he was hearing, Dean saying he was sorry for something. Sam gets a glare from Dean before Dean jumps up from his chair and heads back over to the dresser and grabs the Impala keys.

"Stop packing, go back to bed. Sam can stay here with you. I'm gonna run out and get some lunch."

He disappears out the door and Sam sighs and stands up, he grabs the duffel bag off the bed and drops it on the floor and gestures to Alex.

"You heard him, back in bed."

Alex laughs and shakes her head but flops down on the bed, Sam throws the spare blanket over her and smiles, then flops down in the chair Dean had just climbed out of and grabs the remote.

"Can you sleep if I watch TV?" Alex nods from the bed and closes her eyes, then smiles.

"Sam, did he just apologise?" she asks, still smiling. Sam laughs and shakes his head in disbelief.

"Yep, and I think Hell just froze over. There is no way I thought I'd ever see the day he did." He laughs.

Days later the house still smelled of paint and wood, the second floor bedroom had received a new floor and ceiling where the demons had blown part of the roof away, and Bobby was grumbling from the main floor about being limited to that level. He was determined to rebuild his panic room and grumbled constantly about not being able to get up and down the stairs with the leg length cast the doctors had put on him. He was safely behind his desk again rearranging his book shelves with Alex's help when the calls started. Did he know where to get a shrunken head? Did he know where Daniel Samms might be hunting at? Did the FBI have agents in Spokane? Alex eventually sat him at his desk and put the books on the shelves for him while he answered the phones. The mood changes when a final call comes in, an old friend of John's calls and asked for help.

Bobby hangs up the phone and glances around the room; Alex notices the change in his demeanour and looks up from her pile of books.

"Bound to happen sooner or later. Gotta job for you guys." He grumbles from his desk. Alex climbs to her feet and dusts off her jeans and waits for him to finish. He jerks his chin out in the direction of the yard.

"Better go get the boys, you guys are gonna have to pack up and head out right away. The trip is gonna take you up to Wisconsin and you've only got a week or so to get the job done."

Alex chews her lower lip and heads out to the junk yard following the sound of crashing metal. Dean was trying to teach Sam how to take parts off of cars. Sam managed to find the cars okay but sucked at getting the parts off; it took him forever because he acted like he was doing surgery. It was easy to find Dean, he was whaling away at a shock, the metal banging like a gong through the yard. Sam was quietly and carefully cutting wires off an air condition unit in a Caddy. All three of them were quiet on the walk back, all of them lost in their own thoughts.

Back inside, Bobby had quickly assembled some information on their animals and was awkwardly pulling maps off the shelves when they trooped back into the office.

"Looks like we've got a pair of Rutuu on our hands again. A few years back John was hunting them, almost in the same spot, I'm thinking they might have had a family stashed on us. Four deaths, cops have found nothing but minor body part, hands, feet, stuff with no meat, not worth eating. By my quick calculations you've only got a week, maybe two to get them before they go back in to hibernation."

Dean groans faintly from his chair and rubs his head, then glances over at Sam on the couch next to him. Sam shakes his head and glances over to Bobby.

"I don't think you're in any shape to be left alone. Isn't there any other hunters in the area that can take it?"

Bobby shakes his head and looks around the room at the three faces, then back down at his papers.

"Na, ain't got too much manpower left after the whole Lucifer-Michael thing. We're running on low folks."

"Still, we're not even sure if the demons are gone. Kali said she got them all but do we trust her, and who says there aren't more out there hunting us." Sam says glancing around the room. "We can't be sure they won't grab Bobby again and try to find us."

The three hunters look at each other and then back at Bobby.

"I'll stay with him till we get everything sorted out here. Ill set up some protection wards, glyphs, that sort of stuff, at least enough to keep them out of the house." Alex says, glancing at the two boys. "You two are more than capable of taking Rutuu on."

Her comment is met with silence, the Dean shifts in the chair and looks at her.

"I don't know, we still don't know what Kali did. I don't like the idea of leaving you alone. What happens if you have another ...episode?" Alex glances around the room and then back to him.

"If I stay here on the main floor then it shouldn't be a problem. Besides I haven't had another one so I don't think it's an issue. As soon as Bobby gets the okay from the doctor then I'll head up to Wisconsin and meet you there."

Dean makes a sour face and glances over to Sam who shrugs back at him. Bobby pinches his lips together and glances around the room, since there are no protests the idea seems to satisfy everybody, he glances over at Dean and Alex before he grunts his reply.

"I don't think I need a babysitter but since I'm gonna be out voted then fine. At least I know I'll be eating good." Dean jumps up off the chair and slaps his hand on his leg.

"Let's get going Sammy. We've gotta pack up the weapons and our clothes. "He hesitates a second, then glances at Alex. "Do you suppose you might have time to fix us lunch before we head out?"

Alex smiles and then jumps up, she heads out to the kitchen.

"I refuse to cook cheeseburgers. How about spaghetti and meatballs?"

Alex gives the kitchen counter a final wipe with the dish cloth and glances out the window; the Impala sits in the front driveway, its open trunk being fed a variety of duffel bags and weapons. She hesitates for a second and then glances over her shoulder and watches Dean walk through the kitchen with the last duffel bag. Bobby hobbles out behind him, slowly getting better manoeuvring around with his crutches. She reaches in the fridge and grabs the apple pie she had stashed earlier and takes it out onto the yard to join Bobby. Dean shoves the bag into the truck and shuts it up, then turns back to the two friends waiting for him on the step. Sam shoves the last of the equipment into the back seat and climbs out. He smirks at Dean as they walk together up to the door.

"I told you she had pie stashed."

"Oh man, her freakin' pie is awesome. I hope it's apple." Alex smiles as she hears his last comment; it is apple, his favourite.

"It is, and I'm giving it to Sam to carry so you'll keep your fingers out of it while you're driving." Sam laughs and takes the pie from her, then gives her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Have I told you lately how much you rock?" he laughs down at her. Alex laughs back up at him and gives him a punch in the shoulder.

"No, damned right I do. Find me a motel with a kitchen and I'll make more when I catch up."

Sam laughs and spins back to the car, he laughs over his shoulder and yells back.

"Dean's too cheap for a kitchen!"

Alex smiles at Dean and raises her eyebrows at him in a silent challenge. He smiles back at her and then looks around the yard before looking back up at her.

"I'll get you a kitchen if you want me too." Alex smiles down at him, her face falls for a second and she looks down at him.

"Get a Rutuu, and be safe. That's enough for me." Dean nods his head and glances over at Bobby and kicks the dirt with his boots. "Get this old thing back on his feet and settled in and then get out here and help us. You're gonna get soft sitting her with him."

Alex laughs at the look on Bobby's face and then gives him a gentle nudge with her elbow.

"He's just jealous you'll be getting real food every day."

"And I'll have the best company too." Bobby says, giving him a look. Dean snorts and spins on his heel and heads to the car. He hesitates and stops for a second, after a long pause he spins back around and walks back up to Alex. He leans forward and gives her a quick kiss on the forehead then quickly spins around and stomps back to the Impala, he jumps inside, the engine roars to life and the car spins out of the driveway. Alex watches it disappear down the road, Bobby shifts beside her and watches the dust trail disappear from sight, then glances over at Alex.

"Huh! I never get a kiss goodbye." He smirks; he slowly turns around and limps inside. Alex smiles and turns to go, then stops when her phone makes a series of beeps. She pulls it out of her pocket and opens it, a new text flips up, and she smiles a huge grin.

"I miss you already. D."


End file.
